A Fractional CIO owns your technology strategy, systems and vendor decisions part time. Rates, scope, and how to start, in one place.
A Fractional CIO costs $200 to $450 per hour, or $5,000 to $15,000 per month for a 10 to 20 hour per week engagement. Advisory-only arrangements start at $3,000 to $5,000 per month, and ERP or transformation programs reach $18,000 to $22,000. A full-time CIO costs $200,000 to $400,000 a year in total compensation, so the fractional model runs 50 to 75 percent less.
A 12 to 24 month plan that ties systems spend to business outcomes instead of vendor timelines.
Renewals, consolidation and negotiation, so you stop paying for overlapping tools.
ERP, CRM and finance systems that actually talk to each other.
Access control, backups and continuity planning at a level enterprise buyers accept.
One source of truth, so leadership stops arguing about which number is right.
Internal staff and managed service providers directed against a plan you can read.
The opening quarter is an audit and a plan, not a rip and replace. You should know what you own, what it costs and what to fix first before anything is bought.
The bill grows every quarter and nobody can map it to a roadmap.
Data is re-entered by hand between tools, and reporting takes days.
Security reviews, audits or certifications now gate your biggest deals.
A Fractional CIO usually works 10 to 20 hours a week and directs the people you already have, whether that is internal IT or a managed service provider.
A few days a month of roadmap, vendor and architecture guidance for a small team.
10 to 20 hours a week owning the roadmap, vendors, budget and IT team direction.
ERP migrations, carve-outs or full digital transformation programs with delivery accountability.
Hourly engagements run $200 to $450 per hour. CIOs with 10 to 15 years of experience sit at $200 to $300, and senior CIOs with enterprise and compliance backgrounds reach $300 to $450. Ranges reflect published 2026 US market data, not a Hey CMO rate card.
| Fractional CIO | Fractional CTO | |
|---|---|---|
| Focus | The systems the business runs on | The product you sell |
| Owns | ERP, CRM, infrastructure, vendors, IT team | Engineering, architecture, release, technical hiring |
| Buyer | CEO, CFO or COO | CEO or founder in a product company |
| Typical cost | $5,000 to $15,000 per month | Comparable, and scoped to product stage |
| Hire when | Internal systems and spend are out of control | You are building or scaling a product |
If the pain is internal systems, vendors and data, you want a CIO. If the pain is shipping software, start with a Fractional CTO.
Sell a roadmap and an operating cadence, not hours. Name the first 90 day deliverable.
Anchor on a monthly retainer. The market pays $5,000 to $15,000 for a 10 to 20 hour week.
Managed service providers, private equity operating partners and CFOs refer CIO work constantly.
Got Fractional pulls Fractional, interim and advisory technology roles from company career pages, job boards and professional communities into one searchable feed. Access is included for active Hey CMO Fractional Network members.
A Fractional CIO owns technology strategy on a part-time basis: the roadmap, systems and integrations, vendor and contract decisions, security posture, data and reporting, and direction of internal IT staff or managed providers. They translate business goals into a systems plan and hold the plan accountable.
Expect $5,000 to $15,000 per month for a 10 to 20 hour per week engagement, $3,000 to $5,000 for advisory-only support, and $18,000 to $22,000 for transformation programs such as an ERP migration. Hourly rates run $200 to $450.
A CIO owns the systems the business runs on, including ERP, CRM, infrastructure and vendors. A CTO owns the product you sell, including engineering and architecture. Companies selling software often need both, at different stages.
Yes, when technology spend or complexity has outgrown internal capacity but not a full-time seat. A full-time CIO costs $200,000 to $400,000 a year loaded. A fractional engagement delivers the same senior judgment for 50 to 75 percent less.
Most run six to eighteen months. Roadmap and vendor cleanup work shows results in the first quarter, and system migrations set the length. Some engagements convert to a standing advisory day per month once the plan is running.
Hey CMO connects business builders with vetted Fractional leaders, and gives Fractionals the systems to run the practice behind the role.
©2026 Hey CMO. All rights reserved.
